


The Governor of California

by Bdoing, mademoisellePlume, Vinnocent



Series: Heroes and Wolves [7]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Abandonment, Adolescent Sexuality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gore, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-08 23:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1960971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bdoing/pseuds/Bdoing, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mademoisellePlume/pseuds/mademoisellePlume, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinnocent/pseuds/Vinnocent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Eva begins setting plans in motion, another murder surfaces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Negotiations

Agitated, Isaac paced the floor of Derek’s loft. “I don’t like this,” he said.

“I don’t either,” Derek grunted, flipping through his book. “We weren’t given much of an option.”

“Shouldn’t we be meeting… somewhere else?” Isaac suggested.

“She already knows where I live,” Derek said.

“Do you even know who she is?” Isaac asked.

“No.” Derek glanced toward the loft door. Past it, down the hall, he could hear the whirring of the elevator car as it came closer and closer to his floor. “But we’re about to find out.”

Isaac made a whining noise. “What does Scott think about this?” he asked.

Derek could hit him. He really could. “ _Scott_ doesn’t know because _Scott_ isn’t in our pack.”

Down the hall, the elevator stopped and opened. Derek heard the sharp clack of heels on the old wooden floors. He put his book down on the desk by the window, the one that Isaac was pacing beside, and he waited.

Eventually, the door loft’s door opened. There stood a gorgeous woman no older than her 50s with dark olive skin and a darker brown hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her gray dress suit was severe but elegant. There was humor in her eyes, but her lips were pursed and tight. But none of these things were the reason why Derek stood so fast that his chair fell over.

“Derek,” said Isaac, “that is the governor of California.”

That snapped Derek out of his shock. He spun toward Isaac. “Wait, really?” He turned back to the woman. “I thought that was a joke,” he admitted.

“No, joke,” the governor assured him. “You really should pay more attention to state politics, Mr. Hale. You may be surprised how much they affect you.”

“But you smell like Scott,” said Derek, eying her carefully. “And you… you’re…”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it again,” said the governor. “My biological relationship to Scott’s father is not publicly known, nor is my condition.”

Derek scowled. “Seems there’s a lot of secrets to you,” he said.

“I imagine that must be frustrating,” she admitted. “But my secrets are secret for a reason. Knowing what you now know, you must be able to see why protecting this town, specifically, is so important to me. I play a long game, Mr. Hale, and I’ve some practice at it.”

“Are you playing me?” asked Derek.

“Of course,” she purred. “But not in a way you’ll mind. At least not as long as you stay on the right side of things.”

Isaac scowled. “What’s the right side?” he asked.

“Scott’s side,” she answered without even a hint of hesitation. Isaac seemed to easily accept that answer, but Derek looked dubious.

“What is it that you want from us?” he asked.

The governor turned and closed the door behind her. Then, she turned back to him with a terrible smirk. “I need you break into a bank vault,” she said.

\-- --

“Excuse me?” asked Chris Argent.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Eva Vela said, waving a hand. “There’s nothing valuable in it anymore. Well, aside from the captives, that is.”

“Captives?” he repeated humorlessly.

“Cora Hale and Peter Hale,” she answered.

Chris stiffened. “You want me to hunt Hales?” he asked.

“Of course not, darling,” she laughed. “You have a _terrible_ track record for that. No, I want you to save them.”

Chris glowered down at her. “And what’s the governor’s interest in the Hale family?”

“The whole family?” she asked. “Nothing much. Peter still needs to be held accountable for at least seven murders, as well as the attacks on Scott McCall and Lydia Martin. Not to mention manipulating a minor into necromancy. And the insurance fraud.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Necromancy isn’t illegal. And the police registered those murders and attacks as animal in cause; he _can’t_ be held responsible in court.”

“Actually, he can,” said Eva. “You should know as well as anyone that these things aren’t _new_ , merely uncommon. There _is_ a system in place.” She stood from the chair in front of his desk and glared directly up at him. “And if you don’t help me bring him in, then you’ll get to meet it yourself when I cart you in for vigilantism.”

“And Cora Hale?” he asked.

“An innocent,” said Eva. “It would be _honorable_ to return her to her family before anything worse can happen to her.”

“If there’s a system in place…”

“A legal system,” Eva reminded him. “Management has always been left to existing law enforcement and to their own packs. As you know, Hale’s pack is severely underpowered to the one holding them hostage, and local law enforcement is not equipped for this task.”

“So you’re asking us to handle it?” he said.

“I’m asking _you_ ,” she said. “Should you choose to involve anyone else, you will not tell them that I am the source of your information.”

Chris scowled. “What are the details?”

\-- --

“Beacon Hills First National Bank?” Marin Morrell repeated.

“Impenetrable except for one narrow shaft,” Gov. Vela explained. “Not really ideal for confronting an Alpha pack, but luckily, I don’t think they plan on confronting you. The vault holds one Cora Hale and one Peter Hale. They have been held starved of moonlight for months. They will react viciously toward anyone entering.”

“You realize we have a moratorium on working with you?” Morrell said, arching an eyebrow.

“Work with?” Gov. Vela repeated, appearing surprised. “I thought we were sharing gossip?”

Morrell hummed thoughtfully. “Anyone else you’ve gossiped with?”

“Only Derek Hale, in the company of Isaac Lahey, and Chris Argent,” she admitted. “Oddly, they didn’t ask that question.”

Morrell nodded. “Thank you for informing me, then,” she said. “I assume you can find your own way out?”

Gov. Vela leaned forward with a playful smirk. “You know, the tradition of gossip is an _exchange_ of information.”

“He’s doing fine,” Morrell said patiently. “He’ll do finer without your interference.”


	2. Family Matters

Derek hit the bottom of the shaft and took a moment to listen. On the other side, he heard the growling and pacing of angry animals. He pulled his fist back as far as he could. A mere three inches. It would have to be enough.

He punched the wall. As hard as he could. He bones screamed in agony, but he just swallowed the pain and used it to fuel the next punch. And the next. And the next.

Unfortunately, Peter and Cora did not wait for him to finish.

Clawed fists broke through through the rubble and pulled him through the crumbling wall. Derek grappled for leverage, but they threw him into the nearest wall. They roared furiously. Derek swallowed.

Behind him, Isaac dropped down the shaft. He tried to pull Cora off Derek, but the two feral werewolves-by-birth easily overpowered him. Fortunately, they didn’t overpower a united pack of four. Erica dropped down the shaft after Isaac, soon followed by Boyd.

That was when the door of the vault opened. There, in the entrance, stood… actually, Derek hadn’t learned her name. He was pretty sure she worked at the high school, though. She was a thin, athletic, black woman in her mid-30s, dressed like she’d just walked out of an action film. Isaac scowled in confusion. “Mi--?” But she pressed a finger to her lips to silence him. Suddenly, the room lit with blinding white light. The six werewolves found themselves engulfed, as though in a white, edgeless room. Even feral as they were, Cora and Peter hesitated in confusion.

“It looks like you were right,” Deucalion’s voice said, somewhere in the direction of where the vault door had been. “He did bring McCall.”

“After his utter failure at protecting Boyd and Reyes, there’s no way they’d rejoin his pack,” Ms. Morrell’s voice answered. “And that will be his failing.”

Footsteps disappeared, and, eventually, so did the blinding whiteness. Boyd pointed at the floor. “Derek, look!” There, encircling the room, was the ash of a mountain ash, the circle now closed by Ms. Morrell. Unfortunately, this cry attracted the attention of the feral werewolves, who immediately leapt at him. They were caught mid-air and slammed back to the ground by Erica and Derek.

Isaac grabbed Peter’s feet while Derek sat on Peter’s stomach. “What do we do now?” Isaac demanded.

“This,” said Derek, glancing over to Cora to make sure that Erica and Boyd were capable of handling her. “In the morning, we’ll call someone to break the barrier. But right now, we can’t afford for them to break loose in this condition.”

\-- --

That morning found six werewolves all curled up and passed out on the floor of the abandoned bank vault. “Awe, that’s _adorable_ ,” Chris Argent purred, and six heads all popped into alertness. Eyes went red, yellow, blue. Teeth were bared. Patiently, he shot each of them with a tranquilizer.

He waited outside the line of mountain ash until the growling, angry pack finally subdued and collapsed back to the floor. Carefully, he stepped inside and removed each dart. Then, he checked their vital signs. He walked back to the doorway, where he scattered the line of ash with his foot.

One by one, Chris Argent carried Vernon Boyd, Erica Reyes, Isaac Lahey, Cora Hale, and Derek Hale out to the abandoned building next door. He then packed all evidence of his presence there back into the trunk of his car. He pulled out a burner phone.

“Hello, Sheriff’s Office,” answered a cheery woman. “Deputy Graeme speaking.”

“Hi, I wanted to know if you were still looking for Peter Hale?”

A pause. Then, “Uh, yes. We are,” she answered. “Do you have information on him that would be helpful to his arrest?”

“Yeah, he seems to be sleeping something off in the abandoned vault of the old Beacon Hills First National Bank,” Chris answered.

“Alright, can I have a--?” But Chris hung up on her and tossed the phone aside. He then got back into his SUV and drove away from the scene.


	3. Chosen Family

As Stiles drove up to the scene of flashing police lights, Scott caught familiar faces in the corner of his vision. “There he is,” said Stiles.

“What?” Scott asked, turning back to his best friend, and Stiles pointed through the windshield of the Jeep. There, at the steps of Beacon Hills First National Bank, three cops were hauling out a groggy-looking, handcuffed and ankle-cuffed Peter Hale. “I can’t believe they’re actually hauling him in.”

“He killed seven people, Scott,” Stiles pointed out.

“Yeah, I know,” Scott said quickly. “But he did that as a werewolf. Do they even have charges for that?”

Stiles shrugged. “Apparently CBI does,” he said.

“CBI?” Scott repeated.

“California Bureau of Investigation,” Stiles said impatiently.

“Yeah, I know what it means,” Scott protested. “I just…” But he let it drop. He didn’t really know what he was arguing about. He glanced out his window again and hit Stiles on the arm. “Hey,” he said, getting Stiles’s attention before pointing out the window to where Isaac, Boyd, and Erica stood at a short distance.

“Well, that’s not suspicious at all,” Stiles grumbled, but he moved the Jeep closer to their side of the street, and Scott got out. He walked over to his friends. “Did you hear about Peter getting arrested, too?” Scott asked.

“We were there,” said Erica as Stiles caught up to them.

“There?” Stiles demanded. “Did one of you call it in?”

“No,” said Boyd.

Isaac explained, “We were there because the alphas were holding Cora and Peter--"

“Wait, who’s Cora?” Stiles demanded.

“Derek’s sister,” said Erica. “Try to keep up.”

“Anyway,” said Isaac, “they were holding them for _months_. Apparently starting after Braeden rescued Boyd and Erica. Like, maybe that’s what they’d intended for them.” Boyd and Erica both shivered when he said that. “So Derek and us went to get them, but they’d gone rabid--"

“Feral,” Boyd corrected. “Rabies is a disease.”

“We had to hold them down all night until the sun came up,” Erica continued. “We were woken when Argent arrived.”

“Mr. Argent?” Scott repeated. “What was he doing there?”

All three shrugged. “He seemed to know what was happening,” Boyd said. “He didn’t come around until sun-up, then he tranquilized us all. We woke up with everyone but Peter over here.” He gestured to the building behind him. “And cops over there.” He gestured to the flashing police cars. “Derek took his sister home. We wanted to wait and see what developed.”

Scott and Stiles both turned again toward the bank. “So Mr. Argent set this up?” Scott asked. “And let you go?”

“Let us go,” Boyd agreed. “Not sure about set it up.”

“Yeah,” said Isaac. “Scott, you need to know, Morrell was there. With the alphas. She tricked them into thinking it was just you and Derek against Peter and Cora, that Peter and Cora would kill you and Derek.”

Scott scowled. “But I wasn’t even there,” he said.

“It was some kind of illusion!” Erica insisted. “The whole room was bright white to us, but Deucalion, the alpha pack leader, totally thought he could tell it was just you, Derek, Peter, and Cora in the room.”

“I don’t get it,” said Stiles. “You said he’s an alpha? Doesn’t that come with even _better_ super senses? How did she ‘illusion’ his nose into believing Scott was there? That you two weren’t?”

“I guess Braeden’s scent masking thing still hasn’t worn off,” said Erica. She held out an arm to display what looked like her medical ID bracelet, except that Boyd also had an identical one. “As for Scott…” Erica and Boyd both pointedly looked at Isaac.

“Uh…” said Isaac.

“For _some_ reason,” said Boyd. “Isaac smelled an awful lot like _Scott_ last night. We were polite enough not to say anything, but it worked in our favor.”

“What?” Stiles demanded. “Why would--?” That was when he saw how deeply his best friend was blushing and realized what they meant. “You little harlot,” he accused.

“I still have a question, though,” Scott said, changing the subject. “What is an alpha pack?”

Isaac blanched. “I forgot Derek didn’t want us to tell you that,” he admitted.

“Man, fuck Derek,” Boyd snarled. “All he ever does is get our asses kicked.”

“Okay, you realize you’re doing exactly what Ms. Morrell said you would?” Isaac said.

“She’s right!” said Boyd. “We don’t have a lot of reason to be loyal to him. I am, because he’s my alpha. But he’s put us in _bad_ spots before and made some really shitty decisions, so now my brand of loyalty is telling people when they’re stupid.”

“He has a point,” said Erica. “Things have gotten really… complicated. I think we’ll do better if we _don’t_ leave Scott out. If everyone works together, maybe we won’t be caught off-guard.”

“Derek’s not going to like it,” Isaac reminded them again. “I don’t think the governor will, either.”

Scott’s eyes widened in shock. “The governor’s involved?” he demanded.

“Oops,” said Isaac, looking a bit sick.

“She told Derek and Isaac where Cora and Peter were being kept,” Boyd said. He glanced at Isaac. “What do you mean oops?”

“She…” Isaac bounced slightly and ducked his head to look at them sideways. “She, uh… She didn’t want anyone to know she and Scott are related?” he said quietly. “I think she thought it might--"

“We’re not related,” Scott said the same time that Stiles said, “They’re not related.”

Isaac blinked in surprise. “What?” he said.

“We’re not related,” Scott repeated. “My dad worked for her, and she liked to think of herself as my grandmother. She stuck around a bit longer than he did, but we haven’t spoken much in years. We’re not actually related.”

“But…” Isaac continued blinking at him, disbelieving. “But she smells just like you! Well, not just, but… But similar in a ‘they’re related’ way?”

Scott was staring at him open-mouthed. “That’s not possible,” he said.

“Scott, do _you_ think she smells like family?” asked Stiles.

Scott shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since the bite,” he said. “Well, right after the bite. But I wasn’t… I wasn’t smelling things yet.”

Stiles scowled. “So, Eva Vela is in and out of your life for years, then coincidentally shows up _right_ after you’re bitten, then continues being active in Beacon Hills but without ever seeing you again, instead using Braeden for work that involves you?” he said. “Given that she obviously knows lots of stuff about werewolves, doesn’t that kind of look like--?”

“She’s been keeping her scent from me,” Scott realized. “But why wouldn’t she tell me? Why would she let me think--?”

“Um, if I can ask,” Erica broke in, “what happened to your dad?”

Scott shrugged helplessly. “Mom said he took an away job and just never came back,” he answered. “The way she looks talking about him…” He glanced away. “I just never wanted to ask more.”

“I hate to say it,” said Boyd. “But whatever this conspiracy at hand is, it seems to revolve around you.”

Scott glanced up at him helplessly. He didn’t know what to say to that. He’d never asked for any of this.


	4. Scream

Melissa stopped in the middle of the hall, paused, then turned back. The girl sitting on the bench against the wall looked small and sickened. She also looked familiar.

Melissa walked back to her, studied her carefully, then said, “Are you the girl who crashed her motorcycle through a window?”

The girl-- a young woman, really, but Melissa had a hard enough time thinking of herself that way, much less someone only a little older than her son. The girl looked up at her, her sad delicateness slipping smoothly away to a stoic strength. Her eyes combed over Melissa. “You’re Scott McCall’s mother,” she said.

“You… you know Scott?” Melissa asked, somewhat trepidatiously.

The girl nodded. “I work for the governor,” she explained. “My name is Braeden.”

Melissa huffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course, you--" Then, alarmed, she turned back to her. “Eva knows?”

Braeden nodded. “Eva knows a lot of things,” she said with a small smile meant to express that she knew how much Melissa would be familiar with this concept.

“Did she… Scott… Did…?”

“She found out about Scott after the bite,” said Braeden. “Until the murder of Laura Hale, she believed that there were no longer active werewolves in this city. She would’ve watched it more carefully, otherwise. If she had caught even a hint…” Braeden shook her head. “I know how you feel about her. You’re entitled to that. But you should know that she’s still haunted by what she hasn’t been able to stop.”

“So why are you involved?” asked Melissa.

“To run interference,” said Braeden. “These kids… Scott and his friends, they have no idea what they’re up against. I know they’ve already fought a lot, but they barely survived. And of course, some people didn’t. I have training. The Argents have training. The Hales have…” She glowered slightly. “Experience,” she decided. “We don’t need new Animorphs. There’s no reason these kids have to take this on. Especially by themselves.”

Melissa felt tears welling in her eyes. “Oh thank god,” she gasped, unable to withhold one, soft sob. And with it followed others.

Alarmed, Braeden stared at her. After a moment, she stiffly reached out and tapped Melissa’s arm. “There… there?”

Melissa forced herself to calm and dried her eyes on the back of her hand. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “I’m sorry, I’ve just… this has all been… very stressful.”

“I can imagine,” said Braeden.

“Can you?” asked Melissa, skeptically.

“No,” Braeden admitted.

Melissa glanced around. “Why are you here?” she asked. “Sheriff Stilinski’s still looking for you, you know.”

Braeden nodded and looked down at her hands. “I know. I just, uh…” She glanced up at Melissa again, looking terribly guilty. “I was waiting for the report on that Heather girl.”

Melissa glanced back the way she had been going. “Actually,” she said. “I’d been about to call Stiles, but if you’re serious about this interference thing…”

Braeden raised to her feet. “What is it?” she asked, concerned.

“Come with me,” said Melissa, beckoning her to follow her down the hall, then down another. Arriving at the morgue, she quickly ducked her head inside, then motioned for Braeden to follow her. She guided Braeden through rows of corpses, then came to a stop at one particular one. “Stiles and Lydia found this one. They thought it was a werewolf attack, but…”

“Stiles Stilinski and Lydia Martin?” asked Braeden.

Melissa nodded. “You know them?” she asked, a bit worriedly.

Braeden shrugged. “Well, Stilinski gets himself involved in anything Scott or the Sheriff get involved in,” she explained. “But, based on the information I’ve gathered, Martin was dragged into the whole thing kicking and screaming by her boyfriend, her attacker, and occasionally Argent or Stilinski.” She glanced at the sheet-covered form of the corpse. “Now, she’s in too deep to get out.”

Melissa started to say something, then shook her head, deciding that she didn’t want to think about those things right now. She pulled back the sheet, showing the body to Braeden. “He was found by a pool. The kids thought it was a werewolf attack.”

“It’s clearly not,” Braeden said, squatting slightly for a better look. She clasped her hands behind her back to make sure she didn’t touch anything. “This body has been garrotted, struck in the head, and had its throat slit.”

“Yeah, I’m new to this, but it didn’t really seem werewolf-like to me,” said Melissa.

Braeden stood and turned to her. “Was Heather killed the same way?” she asked. And Melissa nodded. “Strange question, but has anything been said about this person’s sexual preferences?”

“Uh, what?” Melissa said, taken aback. “Um, I don’t… Well, he had a purity ring, so he wasn’t…”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant,” she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She dialed the sheriff’s office before noting the confused look on Melissa’s face. “Uh… Thank you,” she said. Then, “Yes, sir, this is Braeden Vela, the governor’s personal assistant.” Melissa’s eyes widened slightly at that. “I’m currently standing in the morgue of Beacon Hills Hospital and looking at your victims. No, no one else was here, but I think you should listen. I know who your killer is.

“The combination of strangulation, exsanguination, and blunt force trauma are known as the Threefold Death. It’s a form of human sacrifice. These two victims are both virgins. If you find a third victim who is also a virgin, then it is clear that this is part of a ritualistic pattern used by a person who considers themself a ‘Darach,’ a sort of mythological evil druid. It’s arisen before, and the governor’s office will send you all available information on these matters within the hour.

“Furthermore, these three victims will only be the beginning. Next will be three warriors. Then three healers. Then three philosophers. Then three guardians. Fifteen murders in all, if this Darach is not caught. Given the vagueness of these categories, I do not recommend public notification, though that decision is, of course, your own. Given this person’s delusion of being an evil druid, you may, however, want to start inquiring among Pagan and New Age circles. Maybe even fantasy role players, medieval or renaissance reenactors, that sort of thing. Anything that might have allowed your killer to explore their fantasies before acting on them.”

She paused and listened for a bit, then said, “Yes, I will wait here.” She hung up her phone and turned back to Melissa. “You should leave,” she said.

Melissa nodded, still stunned by what she’d overheard. “Uh… Yeah. Yes, of course.” She began to shuffle her way back to the door.

“McCall?” Braeden called after her, and Melissa paused and glanced back over her shoulder. “Town,” Braeden said. “You should leave town.”


End file.
